| dc.description.abstract | ic development in most economies, particularly in modern advanced ones. This thesis focuses on how the interplay between FDI and indigenous enterprises in the host location impacts regional economic development. This study examines the evolution of an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) in an FDI-dominated hi-tech local domain, the Dublin internet space. In this dissertation, I investigate to what extent the arrival and growth of multinationals (MNEs) influenced local economic development through direct spillovers in the form of spinouts. Specifically, the research examines the impact of FDI in the form of alumni founder spinouts from MNEs in the host region, which may join the local EE agglomeration.
Beyond policy circles, the EE concept has emerged in recent years as an effective framework for measuring the entrepreneurial interdependence of actors within a local community. EE policy and literature have helpfully placed the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship at the forefront of regional development. Furthermore, the EE literature has placed a strong emphasis on place, actors, governance and, somewhat surprisingly for an ecosystem, evolutionary processes. There is scope to extend this aspect as a field of evolutionary entrepreneurial ecosystems (EEEs). The principal research question for the study is whether spinouts from MNEs trigger or inhibit the formation of an EE and transition its evolution into a resilient ecosystem? This dissertation is organised across the following three studies, two conceptual and one empirical, that interconnect to holistically address the overarching research question.
Study 1 conceptually proposes using the evolutionary EE concept as a macro complementary perspective of cluster theory and the GVC framework to usefully understand the complexity and dynamics of the innovation process across global boundaries. Study 2 first examines the bibliometric growth of the EE literature. Second, it identifies and categorises the current themes in the EE literature, actors, place, governance and evolution, that serve as the primary foci of the EE concept in order to guide future research. Third, by categorizing the themes, it contributes to the EE concept by refocusing EE research on its core elements, away from any unhelpful meandering. This study ultimately advocates for a greater emphasis on the EE concept's critical evolutionary dynamics and processes, preferably through a longitudinal lens. Building on this insight, Study 3 empirically investigates the role of FDI in the evolution of an EE. It questions whether FDI-based tech MNEs support or restrict entrepreneurship in a region. In an idiosyncratic, purposely selected case study of a high-tech region, this study explores the role of MNEs in the horizontal evolution of Dublin?s internet EE. Primary and secondary data from various actors in the EE of Internet companies in Dublin was collected and analysed using the Gioia method. This paper makes a number of contributions. First, this study sheds light on the evolution of an EE by identifying direct, rather than simply indirect, spillover effects of FDI, using the concrete measures that are MNE alumni spin-outs. Second, it extends theory in that it demonstrates how MNEs, on balance, inhibit more than nurture entrepreneurship in this local regional context. Third, it advances methodology by employing a multi-level case study with a pluralist lens, particularly through interpretive sense-making and contextualized explanation. In summary, despite its limitations, this thesis makes an important contribution to the EE literature and the fields of international business (IB) and entrepreneurship by investigating the interaction of FDI and indigenous enterprises in the host region and how this affects regional economic development. Overall, this thesis represents another step toward understanding and exposing the origins and evolution of the EE. | en |
